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Friday, August 31, 2012

My friend Amanda of Amandalandish requested a comparison of OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! and Essie Power Clutch. Nein! recently came out with the OPI Germany Collection, while Power Clutch was part of Essie's Brand New Bag Collection last fall. Nein! is on my index and ring fingers, while Power Clutch is on my middle and pinky fingers.

The difference isn't as evident when, say, you have your hands at arm's length, but up close, Nein! is visibly darker. It's also a true neutral-toned grey, whereas Power Clutch is more green-based. Formula-wise, both polishes are excellent and require two coats for opacity.

Do you need one if you have the other? Well I guess it depends on how much you like greys. They are different, although not dramatically so. But if you're not a big grey collector, you'd probably be fne just getting one of these. Personally I'd give a slight edge to the OPI because I love what a deep grey it is, but that's more a matter of preference than anything being "wrong" with the Essie. After all, these are probably my two favorite greys in my whole collection! What's yours?

Hi everyone! Got any fun plans coming up for Labor Day weekend? I'm not going anywhere for the holiday, but I can't wait to get some rest and relaxation in!

Anyways, I've got Pixi's fall collection to share with you today! I am so happy Pixi is adding new colors to their polish line, because I've really enjoyed my previous adventures with this brand. (You can catch up HERE, if you like!) Pixi may be fairly new to the polish world, but you'd never know it based on this beautiful fall collection!

Let's kick things off with Classy Cocoa a.k.a. my new favorite brown! I am normally not a big fan of brown but this polish is just so sophisticated and rich-looking. It's a deep brown infused with a glaze of golden shimmer. Sometimes I think I see some purple-y tones peeking out, but they're so subtle I can't tell if they're actually there or if the polish fumes are finally getting to me after all this time and I'm imagining things! Either way, Classy Cocoa is a stunner! This is two coats.

Next we have Evening Emerald, a deep green shimmer. This is probably my favorite from the collection, although it's a tough choice. The shimmer in this polish is crazy beautiful!

Last but certainly not least, there's Amazing Amethyst, a royal purple with red and blue microshimmer. All my purple ladies out there (*ahem* Amanda), you will love this one--and I do too! It's absolutely gorgeous and the microshimmer gives it a lot of depth. This is two coats.

The formula on these polishes is fantastic. They all apply very smoothly and opaquely. The Pixi brush quickly became one of my favorites, because I love how the slim style of the brush allows for neat and precise application.

Each one of these polishes manages to make quite an impact and I really fell in love with all three. As I said, it would be very difficult to choose a favorite since I think you can't go wrong with any of them, but Evening Emerald is a real knockout! You can buy Pixi at your local Target or on their official website.

Disclosure: These polishes were provided to me for an honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

I've got the second of the two sets I got from Deborah Lippmann for True Blood to show you today: the Sookie Sookie set! This set features two colors inspired by True Blood's main character, Sookie Stackhouse.

First up, there's Human Nature, a putty creme. It's a pretty color, even if it's not terribly unique. I have a lot of colors like this one since I'm partial to putty polishes. Below is three coats.

Fairydust is where the real fun starts. It's a milky base with an orange-gold iridescent shimmer and it's absolutely gorgeous! Although it doesn't look like much in the bottle, the shimmer really comes alive on the nail and looks much more beautiful in person. Below is one coat of Fairydust over Human Nature. Even over a neutral base, the sparkle in Fairydust still packs a punch.

I didn't fall head over heels for this duo like I did the Forsaken Set but it's still a really lovely pair of polishes. Worn together, Human Nature and Fairy Dust compliment each other perfectly. I'm sure you could come up with all kinds of fun combos with Fairy Dust too!

For 25 bucks, you get two full-sized by polishes, which is a nice deal--by DL standards, at least! ;)If you get just one thing from Deborah Lippmann's True Blood collaboration, I'd make it the Forsaken Set. (It's sold out on HSN right now, but apparently it will be given a wide release in November.) But if you already have Forsaken or you prefer more neutral shades, give the Sookie Sookie Set a try!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I got my very first Dollish Polish colors in the mail last week and I'm very excited to finally try a brand I've heard so much about! The first one I tried is Toad-ally Awesome, a clear base with blue, gold, matte white and matte red glitters in various shapes and sizes. This polish comes from the Super Mario Brothers Collection and is inspired by the character Toad. I've never really liked Toad the character--although I do get some comedic value from the more recent Mario games where now they make him sound like a chain smoker--but I definitely like this polish! This is two coats of Toad-ally Awesome over Essie A Crewed Interest.

I did have to fish a bit to get some of the red pieces, but otherwise Toad-ally Awesome applies perfectly. I chose A Crewed Interest as my base because it's the same color as Toad himself, plus it seemed fitting to choose peach! Get it?

I've had my fair share of frustrations with our TT nail art themes, but this one is so bad that I'm ashamed to even post it. I spent over an hour--yes, really--doing various attempts at crappy colorblocking, most of which were too awful to even photograph. This was the "best" (relatively speaking, of course) of the lot.

This looked much cooler in my head, but as usual, my actual abilities fell short of my ever-optimistic imagination. I think the ring finger turned out alright, but then I ran out of tape and had to freehand the rest, which was a disaster. I always tell myself, "This will be the one nail art thing you can actually do!" But then of course I try to execute my idea and it all goes to hell from there. The only TT nail art theme I've actually been pleased with was my animal-inspired manicure from a few weeks back.

I'm sure no one is really interested in the details of how I created this monstrosity, but for the record, I used OPI Mermaid's Tears as my base color and China Glaze First Mate on top. I love both these polishes on their own merits and I felt bad torturing them with my horrendous attempts at nail art.

I wonder how my fellow Twinsies fared with this challenge. Be sure to check out everyone's blogs below to see!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Knotty is not the type of polish I would normally go for. But I spotted it on clearance at Sally a long time ago and it looked interesting, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Knotty is a nude glassfleck, which is a pretty unusual combination. But I'm thinking this is one that I should have left on the clearance shelf.

The glassfleck finish is beautiful; classic China Glaze. But the color is where I have some serious issues. On someone with darker skin, I think Knotty could be potentially eye-catching. But on someone as pale as I am, it somehow manages to simultaneously clash with my skintone and wash me out. It just looks...off on me.

Part of me wanted to take this polish off after only an hour or so of weartime, but I decided to leave it on for a day and see if it grew on me. Well, that didn't exactly work out and if anything, I wound up disliking it even more by the end of the day. In fact, I pretty much hate it now. Maybe I could layer it over another nude to preserve the glassfleck finish while still changing the strange base color?

If I can't salvage it somehow, Knotty is headed to the swap/give away pile. I've admittedly never been much of a nude polish kind of gal, so maybe I'm just not part of the core audience that's going to appreciate polishes like Knotty. The more I think about it though, who really is the core audience for this polish? It's such a strange polish. What do you think of Knotty?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

A while back, I went on the hunt for my perfect navy. I love blue polish but I realized my collection lacked the ultimate deep blue. (Me deciding I need to buy more polish? Shocking!) I wanted something that was rich-looking and dark, but not near-black. Thus the hunt began...and eventually ended with China Glaze First Mate. Take a look and I think you'll see why!

First Mate is absolutely flawless. It originally came out in the Anchors Away Collection but is now a part of Sally's core line. Core polishes can be easy to overlook or procrastinate on--I know I am certainly guilty of this--but First Mate is definitely worth of your attention. The color is absolutely gorgeous and the formula is amazing too. It is so close to being a one-coater but I ultimately needed two to cover up a few stray patches.

I am in love with this polish! I think navy nails are so chic and there's a bit of elegance them as well. It's a fun color but a bit more understated than bright blues--which of course I love too, don't get me wrong! I already have a layering idea in mind for this polish, but for now, I am enjoying wearing it all on its own!

Friday, August 24, 2012

I've got a really cute polish to show you from my friend Sarah's line Two Birds, One Store today. Just Keep Swimming is a clear base with matte square glitter in various sizes and colors: chartreuse, black, blue and white. This is two coats of Just Keep Swimming over one of my favorite oranges, OPI A Roll In The Hague.

I love a good matte glitter and I think a bright base like A Roll In The Hague really makes the different colors in Just Keep Swimming pop. This combo feels very summery to me and kind of makes me sad that fall is almost here!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I recently picked up Butter London Slapper (along with Snog and Marrow) during the $21 trio promo they had. Slapper and Marrow were both longtime lemmings of mine, so I couldn't resist the chance to finally snag them--and at a discount too! Slapper is a bright teal creme that was released as part of Butter London's fall collection last year. Slapper, for the record, photographs way too blue. It's much more vibrant and green-based in real life. Funny (and frustrating) how some colors just refuse to show up right on camera.

I love how bright this is! This may not have the flash of a glitter or a shimmer, but it's still a total eyecatcher. The formula has some drag to it but is manageable overall. I used two coats here. Slapper immediately reminded me of OPI Fly but I'm happy to say that, to my eye, they're not dupes. Slapper is lighter and more green.

I'd like to layer something over Slapper but I can't seem to settle on anything in particular. Any suggestions, ladies?

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Now, you may recall that last week, I actually bit the bullet and did some legitimate nail art. But this week...well, I wouldn't exactly say I cheated, but I did find a way around having to do more nail art. This week's theme is a floral mani. Two TT nail art themes in a row?!

It wasn't really my goal to cheat (I originally looked up a flower mani tutorial and everything), but when I got Rainbow Honey Sakura Matsuri in the mail, I knew it would be absolutely perfect for this challenge! Sakura Matsuri is a clear base with white and pink flower glitter, plus smaller holographic, iridescent, pink and white glitter pieces. If you've seen my past Rainbow Honey swatches on here, then you should know by now to expect a ton of sparkle from this brand and Sakura Matsuri is no exception! This is two coats of Sakura Matsuri over OPI Steady As She Rose.

Soooo cute! I love Rainbow Honey's Equestria Collection to bits and pieces and my only regret is that I didn't buy full sizes of it. So when the Sakura Matsuri Collection rolled around, I made sure to get full sizes of the ones I wanted!

Sakura Matsuri is incredibly beautiful and would be perfect for spring--or anytime you just want to feel extra girly! It is beyond adorable and looks even better in person when you can see all the sparkles flash and shine. I really like how it turned out over a more neutral base like Steady As She Rose, but I've seen swatches of it over black and it also looks stunning that way.

The more polishes I try from Rainbow Honey, the more I fall head over heels in love with this brand. They have excellent customer service and of course, amazing products! You can purchase Rainbow Honey from their official website.

Be sure to check out all the other Twinsies today for more floral-inspired manis!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Let me start off by saying that if you love glitter, then you need The Worst Possible Thing, or, as I've taken to calling it "death by sparkle," since this polish is so chock-full of fabulous flakies, holo and glitter. The amount of sparkle loaded into just this single polish is truly staggering!

The Worst Possible Thing comes from Rainbow Honey's My Little Pony-inspired Equestria Collection. It's fitting that I love this polish so much since it's an homage to my personal favorite pony, the ever-glamorous Rarity. The Worst Possible Thing is a clear base filled with blue and purple flakies and a slew of holographic, purple, blue and iridescent glitter in various shapes and sizes. This is two coats of The Worst Possible Thing over OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, a dark grey creme.

And with flash:

My fellow glitterhounds will be in total sparkle heaven with The Worst Possible Thing. It is incredibly shiny and between all the glitter and holo pieces, it catches the light like crazy and almost even glows. My nails looked practically jewel-encrusted with this polish! Pictures don't do this polish justice because you can't see how beautiful it really is when the light hits it. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite from the Equestria Collection since all of the polishes beautiful and unique in their own ways, but The Worst Possible Thing is a stunner for sure!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

I have a possible new favorite grey...and it has the dumbest name ever. OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! is a deep grey creme from the new Germany Collection. Although I was kind of disappointed by the Germany Collection overall, it does have some real gems in it and to me, this is one of them. OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! is so deep and rich. There's something very sexy about it to me!

Could this be any more perfect?! Y'know, as much as I'm a total glitterwhore, sometimes it's easy to overlook how striking a smooth, flawless creme can be. I think grey nails, especially dark greys like this one, are so chic and effortlessly cool.

The formula is incredible as well and is almost a one-coater, but I used two here. It dries to an amazingly smooth and glossy finish, even without topcoat, which is how I photographed it here. (I have an awesome layering to show you later on, so stay tuned!) If you love greys, this one is a must-have. Get thee to an OPI retailer!

Friday, August 17, 2012

The instant I saw preview pictures of Punk'd Up Betty, I knew I had to have it. So I braved the Etsy mania during one of Pretty & Polished's restocks and somehow snagged this on the day it first came out. Punk'd Up Betty has several different types of glitter: matte pink and black round, matte pink and black hex and large pearly white hex. It's a little bit girly and a little bit rock n roll--totally my style!

Bad. Ass. I love you, Punk'd Up Betty. I love you so, so much. This polish strikes the perfect balance between gritty and pretty. Sorry for the glare off the large hex glitter pieces. I took these pictures late at night and the lighting in my apartment is too crappy not to use flash. I'm thinking I'm gonna have to break down and buy/make a lightbox because the lighting in my new place is just atrocious...

Anyways, this polish gives you the illusion of instant nail art, which is awesome if you're like me and aren't too great at actual nail art. This is three coats of Punk'd Up Betty on its own. There were a few little gaps in coverage, particularly around the tips, but it didn't really bother me. I was too distracted by all the amazing glitter!

I have mentioned before that I'm on a serious indie binge at the moment and polishes like Punk'd Up Betty only pull me in deeper! You can purchase Pretty & Polished on Etsy or at Llarowe.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

I was so excited to receive my Deborah Lippmann for True Blood goodies in the mail earlier this week! I bought two of the three sets: Forsaken and Sookie Sookie. I really want the third set now so that may be coming home to me sometime in the next few days if my willpower continues to fade... But first up we'll be checking out the Forsaken Set, which features a nail polish called Let It Bleed and a matching lipstick called Bite Me.

Let It Bleed is a deep red--almost a blackberry shade, really--with a hint of chocolate brown and a very glossy finish. As you may have guessed, the color is supposed to look like blood and it absolutely does. I know that may be a little off-putting to some, but personally I love it! Let It Bleed is my new favorite vampy (no pun intended, hardy har har) polish. It's got such a smooth, shiny finish to it and although it's dark, it doesn't look black. I think this polish is super sexy, especially with fall coming up. Plus it's named after my favorite Rolling Stones album! What's not to like?

The formula on Let It Bleed is flawless. I used two coats here. I love the contrast between the dark base color and the squishy finish. In my book, this is the perfect vampy polish.

The other item in the Forsaken Set is Deborah Lippmann's first-ever lipstick: Bite Me. Colorwise, a perfect match for Let It Bleed. I'd imagine most will find this color too dramatic for daytime wear, but it makes a perfect color for after dark--how appropriate!

The formula glides on very smoothly and does not feel drying at all. In fact, it feels almost balmy and has a rich, nourishing texture to it. Also, I am obsessed with the scent of this lipstick! It smells very fruity and creamy, just like a fruit parfait! I wasn't sure what to expect from this lipstick since it's DL's first, but overall I was very pleased with how it applies and wears. I especially like the name too. ("What are you wearing?" "Bite Me!")

The Forsaken Set was a complete winner for me. It retails for $28 on HSN's website but unfortunately it is sold out right now! I'm not sure if it will be back in the future, but the other two sets are still in stock as of right now and you might be able to try your luck elsewhere on Ebay and the like for this one. If you're into vampy colors, love True Blood or are just looking for a great pair of fall make-up goodies, the Forsaken Set makes an excellent buy! I think Pam would approve!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Essie Boxer Shorts is the only polish I picked up from the Yogaga Collection, but it's a cutie! Boxer Shorts is a purple-leaning light blue creme. It reminds me quite a bit of Essie Lapis of Luxury, except more purple.

This really is an adorable color. I got a lot of compliments on it--and the little penguin I painted over it that I showed you for this week's Twinsie Tuesday post! The formula is flawless and covers in two coats.

If you get just one color from Yogaga, I'd make it Boxer Shorts. I totally love this color, so much so that as soon as it came off my nails, I put it on my toes. Essie can always be counted on to put out some beautiful, interesting cremes and Boxer Shorts certainly fits the bill!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

I've got one of Nicole by OPI's new Target exclusives to share with you today: Just Busta Mauve! (Ugh, that name...) Just Busta Mauve is easily one of the most unique polishes NOPI has ever done and one of the best too, if you ask me. Just Busta Mauve has a dark reddish bronze base filled with blue, orange, pink and purple shimmer, plus a spash of strong gold duochrome to top it all off. This polish is seriously incredible!

When I hear the word "mauve," I instantly think grandma nails. But as you can see, Just Busta Mauve is anything but! This depth this polish has is insane! There's a lot of colors in the mix but they all come together as a surprisingly cohesive whole and the shimmer is so intensely shiny that the overall finish resembles a foil. The formula performs well but is a bit sheer for my tastes. I used four coats here.

Pictures don't do this polish any justice. NOPI truly outdid themselves here. Just Busta Mauve is ridiculously gorgeous. For me, this is one of those "run, don't walk" polishes that you have to grab as soon as you see it!

It's no secret that I dread the nail art Twinsie Tuesday themes. So when I saw "animal-inspired manicure" as one of the upcoming themes, my first reaction (after panic) was: CHEAT! Because really, do you guys want to see me struggle through a nail art challenge with my kindgarten-level art skills?

But instead, I decided to be a sport and search for a simple nail art tutorial that maybe even an artistically-challenged person like myself might have some hope of completing. I came across the idea of penguin nails and thought it looked both super cute and relatively easy. I didn't want to press my luck too much though, so I limited the penguin to an accent nail. I know my limitations!

I know it's far from mind-blowing, but given my abilities (or more accurately, lack thereof), this is like the freakin' Mona Lisa. I think the little penguin turned out cute! This is the first of our nail art themes that I actually wore out of the house.

I used Essie Boxer Shorts (which will have its own post later this week) as my base color, Sally Hansen White On for the penguin's tummy, OPI A Roll In The Hague for the beak and feet, Revlon Red for the bowtie and Rimmel Black Satin for the eyes. Since I don't own any nail art brushes, (I know, you're shocked) I did the detail work with a toothpick.

It may not look like much to anyone else, but I'm proud of my little attempt at nail art! We have some very artistically gifted ladies in the TT group so be sure to check out what everyone else did this week!

Monday, August 13, 2012

I've got a guest post over at my friend Sarah's blog, See Sarah Swatch ,featuring a semi-obscure China Glaze glitter! I've put a little teaser below. Do you think you know what it is? Click HERE to see the whole post!